Courageous, hard-working, gifted, variety.

Of all of the adjectives that can be utilized to explain Nancy R. Hiller, these 4 most appropriately sum up the lady we have now come to know and love. And sure, there are such a lot of extra we may have chosen, from erudite to humorous to saucy to… she’d be the primary to confess this… wordy.

However foremost, Nancy was courageous, hard-working, gifted, and type.

Courageous … having tackled what was basically a “man’s” profession from an early age, coaching in England and dealing as a furnishings maker in varied cupboard outlets till beginning her personal enterprise in 1995. Courageous, having confronted a analysis of pancreatic most cancers with optimism, braveness, and charm. Courageous, having proven that there was nearly no topic she wouldn’t tackle and no fact she was afraid to inform.

Exhausting-working … simply do a Google search and you’ll discover ample proof of Nancy’s work, whether or not that includes designing a period-appropriate kitchen, making all of the elements, and putting in them; writing one in every of many books; preserving us all knowledgeable by the a number of blogs she wrote, each for Tremendous Woodworking and Misplaced Artwork Press; educating woodworking; supporting the work of feminine woodworkers striving to make their marks on this planet of furnishings making; conducting an Instagram “takeover” for Tremendous Woodworking to mark Girls’s Historical past Month, gardening at her Indiana residence, caring for her household, together with cat Tony and canine Joey, and extra.

Gifted … her work speaks for itself, and you’ll scarcely have frolicked on this web site or others and never seen the gorgeous cabinetry, cabinets, and different superb furnishings Nancy has made. Nor can you will have escaped the proof of her writing abilities (see above).

Sort … that’s an attribute every of us skilled over the course of our relationship along with her. Whether or not she was writing a observe of encouragement, noting the contributions of employees members publicly who not often get public acclaim, talking out for woodworkers who would possibly in any other case not get observed, or simply having an amazing dialog with one who wants it, Nancy had a deep capability for kindness.

Nancy R. Hiller skilled as a furnishings maker in England, the place she lived for 16 years from the time she was 12. She earned a Metropolis and Guilds of London certificates, then labored for designer Roy Griffiths making kitchens. She additionally labored for Millside Cabinetmakers and the carpentry store of the Imperial Conflict Museum at Duxford Airbase earlier than returning to the U.S. Again right here, she labored for Wall-Goldfinger and Credence Buyer Furnishings earlier than opening her personal store, NR Hiller Design Inc. in 1995.

She was a trainer, writer, and craftsperson of the very best diploma. Among the many books she has written are: Store Tails, Kitchen Suppose, English Arts & Crafts Furnishings, Making Issues Work: Tales from a Cabinetmaker’s life, The Hoosier Cupboard in Kitchen Historical past, A Dwelling of Her Personal, and Historic Preservation in Indiana.

Her blogs embody Making Issues Work and Professional’s Nook on FineWoodworking.com.

She’s written quite a few articles for Tremendous Woodworking, Misplaced Artwork Press, Standard Woodworking, and a bunch of different magazines.

There are such a lot of priceless nuggets of knowledge in her writings that one can be laborious pressed to discover a single one which sums up Nancy’s view of her work, however this one comes shut. It’s from a weblog submit she wrote about ardour, which we later printed within the journal as “The issue with ardour,” a column for From the Bench:

“Doing what you’re keen on for a dwelling calls for that you just domesticate a bigger understanding of loving what you do—one that may accommodate the complications, stress, sporadic earnings, troublesome purchasers, occasional doldrums, and sleepless nights that may include being self-employed. When you concentrate on it, that is no totally different from the deeply dedicated love that grounds an extended marriage, which can contain stretches of monotony, moments of doubt, tending to a sick partner (or mum or dad, or youngster) and the occasional hour or (let’s be sincere) extra of utter exasperation. “